Ian's Death

"Woo-li-wa-la..."

A group of Elite Tier bandits were burned to a pulp in the narrow tunnel. In particular, the trusted bandits and die-hards, whose Life Value was already low, fell one after another in the Flame Scorch, turning into charred skeletons.

It's true that Bai Xiaowen's Kusanagi Sword can only be charged once a day.

However, "can only be charged once" does not mean "can only be used once".

The first use of the Orochi Nagi that I just used was from a previous charge; I haven't used today's charge yet.

Bai Xiaowen had recently made a small fortune and had plenty of Psionic Points. After using them, he immediately used up today's recharge opportunity, spending 10,000 Psionic Points to bring the Orochi Nagi's cast count back to 1/1.

Seeing that the bandits were still stubborn, Bai Xiaowen immediately gave them another barbecue as a lesson without any hesitation.

The two powerful Orochi Nagi slash had an astonishing effect.

The first few die-hard bandits were burned to death, and many of the bandits who followed were also severely injured, with all their attributes reduced by half, rendering them unable to fight.

The bandits further away were only affected by the power of the Orochi Nagi, losing a few dozen points of Life Value, but their combat strength remained. However, these bandits were not die-hards to begin with. After witnessing the astonishing power of Bai Xiaowen's two ultimate moves, their hesitation was quickly amplified, and they hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do.

The key point is that Bai Xiaowen unleashed two powerful attacks in a row without even breaking a sweat, showing no signs of exhaustion. This performance undoubtedly instilled even greater fear in the bandits.

"Who else?"

Bai Xiaowen glanced around, and as soon as he saw them, the bandits lowered their heads and retreated.

Bai Xiaowen snorted and turned around, his back to the bandits.

Some of the robbers quietly retreated and slipped towards the cave entrance.

With a leader in place, the other less resolute bandits also shrank back and retreated.

Seeing that they couldn't stay in the Cliffside Mine Cavern any longer, it was better to find another place. These bandits were all highly skilled individuals who could fight on horseback and shoot arrows with a bow. They wouldn't have trouble finding work in any bandit stronghold, and if all else failed, they could even recruit a few friends to work independently. There was no need to go against this unfathomable and powerful wizard.

Ian roared, "You deserters, get back here right now! Anyone who dares to run away Decapitation if I catch them!"

Upon hearing this, the bandits ran even faster.

Bai Xiaowen said calmly, "Mr. Ian, don't even think about dragging your accomplices down with you. Just focus on your journey."

"Pah! You might scare those cowards, but you can't scare me!" Ian sneered. "That terrifying spell you just cast must have been done with the help of some powerful magical artifact. You don't have that kind of power yourself! You've already reached your limit by casting it twice, haven't you?"

"Heh, trying to test me?" Bai Xiaowen sneered. "I don't need that kind of wide-range spell to deal with the two of you."

Ian was about to speak when he suddenly heard a scream, which came from another of his Elite Tier bandit guards, his loyal henchmen.

While Bai Xiaowen used two giant Orochi Nagi to force back the bandits, Li Shuyi and her group were not idle; they were constantly besieging the remaining Elite Tier bandit guards.

The bandit was strong in offense but weak in defense. After his attacks were Block by the three Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier in turn, his weak defense was exposed to the agile classes such as Li Shuyi and the Shadow Assassin.

In just a few dozen seconds of being ganged up on, the Elite Tier bandit guards lost half of their Life Value.

"Damn it... accept the punishment of justice!"

Ian pointed his warhammer sharply in his right hand, Bai Xiaowen, standing at the tunnel entrance, felt a sense of foreboding. The next second, a phantom warhammer burning with holy fire smashed into his head.

Spirit Realm Rules Message:

"Bandit Boss Tier Ian's unknown skill activated."

"The enemy's morale ratio is 17:31. You will suffer a 6-second stun effect..."

"With the effect of 'Heart of Sincerity' triggered, you will receive a 20% reduction in control duration, and the actual stun effect will last for 4.8 seconds!"

Bai Xiaowen's summoned creatures, which had been moving smoothly and coordinating perfectly, froze for a moment, as if they were without command and had fallen into a stagnant situation of fighting alone.

A series of notification messages, however, made Bai Xiaowen quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

"So the BOSS's last skill was a control ability, and it was used on me... I'm safe now."

A flash of light appeared on Bai Xiaowen's body as he used the item Mature Qinglian Seed) to dispel the nearly 5-second-long stun.

Fortunately, he was Hero Template, which had a high priority, and the mature version of the Green Lotus Seed also had 3 points of additional priority, which was enough to remove the stun. It should be noted that Ian was also Boss Tier -level powerhouse with the same Hero Template, and his stun skill also had a priority of 7.

If Ian's target is Li Shuyi, Bai Xiaowen will have to be extra careful to protect Li Shuyi, since her priority is 1 point lower and she won't be able to break free from the control.

Of course, Ian had his reasons for attacking Bai Xiaowen. He could tell that Bai Xiaowen was a summoner, and that Rageclaw, Skeleton Mage, and so on were his summoned creatures. Stunning a summoner would reduce the threat of his summoned creatures by more than half, which is common sense.

In that split second, Ian had already broken through the Rageclaw and was trying to charge at the last Elite Tier bandit guard. However, Bai Xiaowen instantly dispelled the stun and immediately ordered the Skeleton Mage to unleash Lightning Throw, stunning Ian and stopping him halfway.

Despite having lost a significant amount of Life Value, Rageclaw still bravely pounced, separating Ian once again and rendering his rescue futile.

Soon, the last Elite Tier bandit guard was killed.

Next, only the bandit Boss Tier Ian remains. This level 6 boss is indeed very powerful, but his fighting style, using a one-handed hammer and shield, shows that he excels in defense. In terms of offensive capabilities, Ian is actually not much stronger than the two level 7 Elite Tier bandit guards.

Three Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier surrounded Li Shuyi, who Rageclaw and activated the [Howl] skill. Li Shuyi also activated the Demonfire Dance. At range, Bai Xiaowen activated the Rapid-Fire Mode of his pistol, and the Skeleton Mage also used up his remaining Divine Might to release Lightning Throw.

It can be said that both [Howl] and [Demonfire Dance] were trump cards prepared for the final siege of Ian.

Ian's defense is indeed formidable. His constitution is already as high as 48 points, and with a set of silver bodysuits and the extra armor from the [Devout Aura], his total armor value exceeds 70 points.

What does 70 points of armor mean?

When Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi, who are only level 3, attack Ian, all physical damage will be forcibly reduced by 70%!

Regarding armor damage reduction, some people have already figured out the rules under the Spirit Realm Rules, which are related to two factors.

The first factor is the total armor against attackers (natural armor from constitution plus armor added by equipment). The higher the total armor value, the higher the physical damage reduction ratio.

The second factor is the attacker's level. A higher-level attacker reduces the opponent's physical damage reduction, so Advanced Awakened has a certain advantage when fighting a lower-level awakened being. Of course, this factor has a slightly smaller impact.

Bai Xiaowen's Desert Eagle, a gold-tier weapon, was upgraded to +4, boasting considerable attack power. However, a single shot to Ian only dealt single-digit damage. Fortunately, its Rapid Fire- fire mode provided a fast rate of fire, allowing Bai Xiaowen to temporarily fill the role of an agile marksman while his Divine Might was rapidly depleted.

Li Shuyi's single attack is similar to Bai Xiaowen's, also not exceeding 10 points. Keep in mind, this is even with the Rageclaw [Howl] skill increasing attack power by 20%.

The attack damage of the Rageclaw has also been significantly reduced. As for the Shadow Assassin, it's even worse.

Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier? These three have essentially given up on offense, instead wielding shields in both hands, serving as the team's front line, single-handedly blocking the bandit Boss Tier Ian's hammer blows...

Fortunately, Ian has high armor but relatively low magic resistance. A single Lightning Throw from the Skeleton Mage can still deal close to 20 damage to him.

Li Shuyi's Demonfire Dance became the main source of damage, with streaks of fire shooting out along with sword light, and wisps of fiery energy settling within the body of the bandit Boss Tier Ian.

The entire team put in every ounce of their strength, both sides like taut bowstrings, waiting to see who would break first.

With a clang, a Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier, whose Life Value had been depleted, was smashed into bone fragments by Ian's hammer.

Ian paused, then swung his hammer in a sweeping motion, his target being Li Shuyi posed the greatest threat to him.

Li Shuyi merely shifted her stance slightly, her Thrust sword Thrust at high speed without pause. Although this hammer blow was delivered with one hand, it carried Ian's power of 45 points. If it struck Li Shuyi, it would surely break seven or eight bones in her body, rendering her unable to fight.

Li Shuyi didn't waste her opportunity to attack in an attempt to avoid it, which stemmed from her absolute trust in Bai Xiaowen.

Another Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier with insufficient Life Value stepped forward, raising his shield at an angle.

Despite the skillful deflection, the vast difference in strength still caused the Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier to slide backward, carving deep marks into the stone surface, his bones cracking and popping.

Ian stepped forward and smashed him with his shield, turning him into bone fragments. Dozens of bloody holes of varying depths were now visible on his back, gushing blood, a gruesome sight.

However, Ian seemed oblivious, and the warhammer in his right hand once again burst forth with holy light, smashing the head of the third Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier into pieces.

The last Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier, its iron shield already shattered, faithfully pounced on Ian's hammer at Bai Xiaowen's command.

Ian tried to break free but couldn't. Finding the hammer too heavy, he simply abandoned it and slammed his fist, still wrapped in a metal gauntlet, out, his target still Li Shuyi.

This time, it was the Shadow Assassin charged forward. After all, she possessed a racial passive ability that reduced physical damage by 50%, and she blocked the punch with her arms crossed. However, she herself was blasted away like a pebble, crashing into the mine wall and slowly sliding down.

In those few breaths, Ian's Life Value dropped by dozens of points again. He swung his shield violently, unleashing another Shield Bash.

Bai Xiaowen's Divine Might was almost depleted. He deactivated the Rapid-Fire Mode and unleashed the [Intimidation] skill, which had just cooled down, to interrupt Ian's action.

"Good!" Li Shuyi praised. Ian's [Shield Bash] skill was like a locomotive Charge, with terrifying single-target damage. If he successfully unleashed it, it would definitely cause further casualties.

Bai Xiaowen took a sip of rice wine, pulling his Divine Might back from the brink of collapse. He steadily fired his gun with his right hand, a slight smile appearing on his face. "Calm down, basic operation."

For Bai Xiaowen, this is basic maneuvering; for others, it might be a rare and exquisite interruption.

Finally, Li Shuyi's Demonfire Dance ended, triggering the burst effect. The fire energy accumulated within Ian's body exploded instantly.

"Holy Light Sanctuary me!" Ian sensed the danger and roared, a layer of eggshell-like light shield enveloping his body. Clearly, this was a shield-type skill.

However, the next second, Ian suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood mist. A damage number suddenly appeared above his head.

42 points.

The +7 Demonfire Dance burst effect allows accumulated damage to ignore shields and bonus magic resistance during the burst!

Ian's Life Value instantly plummeted to the danger line of less than thirty points. He knelt weakly on the ground, trying to cough something up, but all he coughed up was dark red blood clots.

Bai Xiaowen restrained the summoned creatures and Li Shuyi, keeping them away and waiting for Ian's shield to disappear. Besides, who knows if Ian might unleash a near-death burst? There's no need to rush now; Bai Xiaowen can just take him out with ranged shots.

The bullets struck the surface of the shield, creating ripples.

Ian looked up, panting heavily, and said, "You're not the lord of White Stone Town. That lord doesn't have your strength... Who are you?"

"I am the lord of White Stone Town, but not the one you think I am," Bai Xiaowen said, ceasing his firing.

Ian seemed to understand something; he gave up resisting and sat down on the ground.

"You... must be very curious as to why I, a knight, have fallen to the level of a bandit..." Ian suddenly sighed sadly, shaking his head. "This was not my intention, but I can no longer turn back... May the Holy Light forgive me..."

"If the Holy Light forgives you, then what kind of fairness and justice is there?" Bai Xiaowen curled his lip. Putting aside his stance, he really disdained Ian. Ian was not some Robin Hood-like thief who robbed the rich to help the poor; he even dared to lay a hand on someone as poor as White Stone Town, which really showed he had no conscience.

Ian gave a bitter laugh, "Perhaps... Lord Dio, I implore you to unite my Blackwind Bandits and guide them onto the path of justice... This is something I have failed to do."

The shield around Ian's body slowly dissipated, and his body collapsed.

A notification message came from the Spirit Realm:

"Bandit Boss Tier Ian has lost 12 Life Value points."

"Bandit Boss Tier Ian has lost 15 Life Value points."

"Ian is dead."

A magnificent Golden Treasure Chest materialized.